


Hang A Shining Star Upon the Highest Bough

by erin_ashes



Category: Deltarune (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Confessions, Crushes, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Noelle has a huge crush on Susie, Noelle loves singing Christmas songs, Pining, Post-Canon, anxious Noelle, started off as a silly idea but has a nice ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 07:18:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17638274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erin_ashes/pseuds/erin_ashes
Summary: “‘Have yourself a merry little ChristmasMake the Yuletide gay-’And that’s when it happened. From the set she heard a muffled snort and Susie mumbled, 'don’t mind if I do'.It was enough to make Noelle’s heart stumble and her head spin.”---In which Susie and Noelle help out with setting up for the annual school Christmas play, and Noelle provides entertainment via singing. But one mumbled line from Susie sets off a chain of events.





	Hang A Shining Star Upon the Highest Bough

**Author's Note:**

> Ah ok so this was supposed to be done for Christmas (if you can believe it) but a bunch of stuff got in the way, so that’s why its going up now. Oh well; if anyone has some nostalgia for some Suselle at Christmas time, here you go! 
> 
> This was an incredibly silly idea that popped into my head when listening to “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” and I thought it would fit Susie and Noelle quite well. This is my first fic so I hope you guys enjoy this fluff-filled Suselle story.

_“And though it’s been said many times, many ways_  


_Merry Christmas, to you”_  


Noelle sang the last phrase of the familiar Christmas song sweetly, a small smile blossoming on her lips as she regarded the faces of those who had stopped their work to applaud her. She nodded to the accompanist, Officer Undyne, who had volunteered to play piano as soon as Noelle had requested someone to perform with. Undyne claimed it gave her something to do in the virtually crime-free neighborhood, and though her playing was a bit inaccurate, she definitely made up for it in enthusiasm. Despite her energetic and extroverted exterior, Undyne claimed that her favorite songs to play were soft, beautiful melodies, much to Noelle’s surprise.  


“Nice one, Holiday!” Officer Undyne called from her seat at the piano, giving Noelle a thumbs-up and a big smile. Noelle returned the grin and took a small bow, her cheeks flushing with pride.  


It was tradition that when the school set up for the annual Christmas play, Noelle would sing carols to give the work a holiday atmosphere. Noelle couldn’t be more grateful, for while she enjoyed helping out her fellow students, she absolutely loved spreading “Holiday cheer” as her dad called it. Even though she got nervous before almost every performance, she absolutely loved singing, and Christmas songs were her specialty. Performing in the school’s old warehouse-turned-auditorium was rewarding, as Noelle felt that was doing her part in the set-up for the play, even if it was just by singing songs to lift her friends’ spirits.  


After giving a quick wave of acknowledgement to the small audience, Noelle took a moment to walk to the side of the makeshift stage she was standing on to grab a drink of water and observe the progress of her classmates.  


The Christmas play was sanctioned by the school, so Ms. Toriel and Ms. Alphys were in charge of organization. As it was, Ms. Toriel looked like she had her hands full trying to round up many of the younger students into their formation so they could practice their carols while looking adorable.  


Ms. Alphys was supposed to be supervising the moving of various boxes of decorations from their places in storage, but instead she seemed to be watching something on her phone and… making repeated glances towards where Officer Undyne was sitting? Noelle couldn’t tell, but she definitely looked nervous about something, though that was not out of character for her teacher.  


Noelle spotted Snowy using Monster Kid as a model to outfit some of the costumes for the play, and she saw Catti sitting on a stack of boxes tapping away at her phone while Jockington was trying to convince her to move said boxes. Temmie was intently collecting tubes of glitter from every supply box she could find, and Berdly was trying to boss around his classmates, though they mostly ignored him.  


Noelle saw Kris attempting to decorate the set of the play, but it looked like more of the paint had gotten onto them then onto the set. And next to Kris she saw... Susie.  


Now, if Noelle was being completely honest with herself, she _may_ currently have a _tiny, minuscule, insignificant_ crush on Susie. But she considered it more of a “friendly interest” in the intimidating girl. After all, Noelle just wanted to get to know her better, and as Susie was always so closed off, Noelle thought that if she had a friend, Susie would become less… violent.

And of course, Noelle would not overstep her bounds if she got any hint at all that Susie was not interested. In fact, Noelle didn’t even know if Susie liked girls! So, Noelle felt like she should just quietly get over her meaningless crush as soon as possible, and nothing would ever come of it. Yes, that seemed like a reasonable and safe option. But Noelle just couldn’t help but wonder what Susie was like…  


When Noelle had asked Kris that exact question, they had given Noelle no response, despite Noelle being one of Kris’s closest friends. Or rather, as close to friends with Kris as one could get with the reclusive human. Then again, Kris and Susie had been very close ever since Ms. Alphys had asked them to get that chalk and they had disappeared for almost an entire day. Oh no…  


Were Kris and Susie…together?  


Well… if that was the case, then Noelle was happy for them! It seemed like their relationship had benefitted both of them, now that Noelle thought about it. So… why did it hurt so much to think about?  


Snapping Noelle out of her over-analyzing, Susie grabbed a can of paint with her strong, muscular arms and flung it onto the bare wood of the unpainted set, her fringe of dark hair flung across her eyes.  


“Now that’s how you do it, Kris” Susie growled, tossing the empty paint can over her shoulder where it slowly rolled to a stop at Noelle’s feet. Noelle froze, then realized she was still staring at Susie when the taller girl turned to look where the paint can had rolled away to. Noelle quickly turned away, a blush creeping up her freckled cheeks.  


“Hey deer girl!” Susie called, striding towards where Noelle was standing.  


_Oh my god_ Noelle thought, _is she talking to me?_  


She remained frozen on the spot as Susie stooped to pick up the can at her feet.  


_Yes, of course she’s talking to you, idiot! Who else would be ‘deer girl’?_  


Her breath hitched as Susie straightened up, towering over her with an intimidating stance.  


_Ok Noelle, you are definitely NOT going to think about how Susie is standing literally a foot away from y-_  


“Hey, you know that one song? The one about the little Christmas and a shining star or whatever?” Susie asked, once again snapping Noelle out of her thoughts.  


“Uh, y-yeah I know that one. It’s, um, ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’, I think” Noelle answered, her voice small and timid.  


“Yeah, that one.” Susie replied “you think you can sing that one next, deer girl?” She asked, flashing a menacing grin.  


“Oh-yes, absolutely!” Noelle exclaimed, immediately cursing herself for being so enthusiastic.  


“Cool” Susie retorted, striding back to her place next to the set. “Kris! C’mon we gotta finish painting this thing!”  


Kris, who had been watching the interaction, gave Noelle a wordless thumbs-up and turned back to their work.  


_What was that about?_ Noelle wondered as she walked back onstage and took a deep breath.  


_It’s not like Susie to request a song so peaceful...then again, it doesn’t really matter cause I royally messed up talking to her._  


Noelle shook her head to chase away the distracting thoughts and forced herself to focus on her singing. She waved at Undyne to get the officer’s attention and told her the song name (“Alright punks, get ready to hear the merriest little Christmas song ever!”) She then filled her brain with thoughts of Christmas cheer, took a deep breath, and started singing.  


_“Have yourself a merry little Christmas_  


_Let your heart be light_  


_From now on your troubles will be out of sight”_  


Noelle smiled as she grew more comfortable singing. She was in her element, after all, singing holiday songs to her friends, and the thought of spreading cheer to those she loved gave her the confidence to keep going.  


_“Have yourself a merry little Christmas_  


_Make the Yuletide gay-”_  


And that’s when it happened. From the set she heard a muffled snort and Susie mumbled, “don’t mind if I do”.  


It was enough to make Noelle’s heart stumble and her head spin. She choked on her words, completely forgetting the next line, but hastily remembering that she had to come in somewhere, so she finally entered the third verse early, her voice shaking as she tried to regain her footing in the song while also making sense of what she had just heard.  


Noelle quickly cleared her throat and pulled her attention back to her performance. She poured all of her energy into making each note ring out clear and beautiful, and she tried to give each phrase meaning. She tried to really convey the Christmas spirit through her words, as she sincerely wished everyone here would have themselves a “merry little Christmas.”  


Noelle managed to finish the song without further incident, though her voice did quiver on the last few drawn-out notes. Reality came crashing back down around the young singer as Undyne played the last chord of the peaceful song. Her thoughts drifted once again back to Susie as the students and teachers gave a smattering of applause.  


Was Susie joking when she said… that? Was she really…? If Susie really did like girls, then maybe… just maybe… Noelle should try to get to know her more. But she still didn’t know what Susie’s relationship with Kris was. Hmm… maybe she should ask Kris for advice! They’d known each other since they were little, and despite the fact that Kris was not very talkative, she could at least ask them about Susie (again). Yes, she would do that.  


“That was lovely, Miss Holiday” She heard Ms. Toriel say warmly as the applause died down, and Noelle could only give the teacher an absent-minded smile in return.  


“But it’s getting close to sundown, and the set is not nearly as painted as it needs to be.” The teacher continued, glancing at Kris and Susie, who had somehow convinced Temmie to give them one of her tubes of glitter and were now mixing it into their paint cans. “So, I feel that it is best if you go help them with the painting of the set, please.”  


“Oh! Yes of course, Ms. Toriel.” Noelle exclaimed, her cheeks reddening at the thought of working with Susie on a project. A relieved smile spread across the kind goat monster’s face.  


“Thank you very mu- Kris, no, you can’t _eat_ the paint, that’s for the set!” Toriel exclaimed frantically as she spotted the paintbrush in Kris’s hand making its way towards their mouth.  


“Come here, my child.” Toriel said, taking Kris by the hand while eyeing the paint covering their clothes and skin. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”  


Noelle saw Kris shoot Susie a quick thumbs-up before following Toriel to the bathroom to wash the paint off of their hands and arms.  


_Well, there goes my plan of asking Kris for advice,_ Noelle thought dejectedly.  


“So, you’re gonna help me with this set, huh nerd?” Susie asked in a low growl, crossing her arms and glaring down at the smaller girl. Noelle, who had been walking cautiously towards the set, jumped in surprise.  


“Uh, yes!” she replied, twisting her hands together and searching Susie’s face for any sign of anger. “N-not that you and Kris aren’t doing a good job!” she added hastily, worried she might’ve offended the taller girl.  


“Hm” was the only thing Susie said in reply, turning back to the paint cans that littered the ground.  


_Okay Noelle, you can do this._ Noelle thought, _just ask Susie if she and Kris are dating! Its just small talk. No big deal._  


“Uh, so Susie!” Noelle exclaimed, silently cursing herself for being so nervous. “So, um, you and Kris are pretty close, right?”  


Susie proceeded to pick up an entire can of paint and dump it on the base of the set. Noelle’s eyes watched in surprise as the purple girl then seemingly effortlessly lifted the pile of boards that was covering a part of the set and tossed them across the room. They landed with a clatter, making Noelle flinch.  


“Yeah, they’re pretty cool” Susie answered, now painting the area uncovered by the boards. Noelle detected a quiet fondness in the intimidating girl’s voice before she added, “for a nerd.”  


“Haha, yeah” Noelle replied quietly, picking up the paintbrush that Kris had abandoned and starting to gently paint the opposite side of the set.  


“So, are you guys, um, dating?” Noelle asked, her voice a tiny whisper.  


“Look, deer girl, you’re gonna have to speak up.” Susie growled in return, starting to move more boards.  


“Oh! I was, uh, just asking if you and Kris were d-dating.” She repeated slightly louder, a blush creeping up her cheeks. Susie dropped the board she had been carrying with a loud _THUD._  


“What.” Susie’s voice was like ice, making Noelle quickly backtrack.  


“I mean! Uh, I was just wondering-” But before she could come up with an excuse for her question, Susie gave a short bark of laughter. Then another, and another, and soon the tall girl was laughing uncontrollable, holding her stomach and wiping her eyes. Noelle had no idea how to respond, so she gave a cautious smile, admiring Susie’s genuine laugh.  


“Ha…ha…oh that’s a good one, deer girl” Susie said after her laughter had died down. She ran a hand through her dark purple hair, exposing her eyes for a brief moment and making Noelle’s heart skip a beat. “Me? Dating that nerd? Hell nah.”  


Noelle’s heart leapt once again, though this time she could not place the exact reason. Her mind started racing as turned away from Susie to paint the opposite wall.  


_Okay, Noelle, you can do this! What ‘this’ is exactly, I’m not sure, but it’s fine! Okay. I know. I’ll just ask Susie if she wants to get some hot chocolate with me after this! That’s a normal, friendly thing to do, right? That’s not creepy or anything, right? Just me and Susie, in a booth at the diner…_  


The thought of sitting next to the taller monster with perhaps only a few feet of space separating them made the smaller girl blush, so she tried picturing her and Susie sitting on opposite sides of the table, but the idea of potentially staring into the other girl’s eyes only made the blush creep higher up on Noelle’s freckled face.  


And Susie noticed.  


“Hey, Holiday, are you alright? Your…uh…nose is turning red.” Susie said, frowning at Noelle from underneath her bangs. Noelle quickly covered her face with her hands and turned away from the taller girl, her golden hair falling in front of her face.  


“Oh um, I was just, um… wondering… if you, um…” Noelle mumbled to the floor as she took her hands away from her face and wringed them together in front of her chest. She nervously twirled a stray lock of hair on her finger.  


“WHAT? Speak up, nerd.” Susie had now placed a hand on her hip and turned her full attention towards the smaller girl, who seemed to be shrinking in on herself.  


_Just ask her, Noelle! It’s not that hard! Just ask if she wants hang out in a friendly and purely platonic way. Just-_  


“DO YOU WANT TO GO ON A DATE?” The words had come out in a near-yell, and Noelle had lowered her hands to her side and squared her shoulders with the intent of staring Susie in the eyes.  


When Noelle realized how unintentionally loud her question had been, however, her confidence almost instantly withered into embarrassment. Curious heads turned in their direction, making Noelle even more flustered.  


“Only if you want to! Actually, um, never mind, it was a stupid idea anyway, um…” She stuttered in a tiny voice, her face practically in flames and her eyes cast back down at the floor.  


_Oh my god, Noelle, you couldn’t even do one thing right and now Susie will think you’re a creepy, awkward loser, and oh god I can never leave the house again, and-_  


“Heh.” Susie’s voice startled Noelle out of her spiral, and she nervously cast her eyes up toward the taller girl. The corners of Susie’s mouth quirked up, and she ran a hand through her hair, revealing her eyes. The sight made Noelle’s breathing hitch.  


“Wait.” Susie’s eyes darkened as she spat the word out. “Is this a joke? Did someone put you up to this? Oh, that’s real funny. ‘Hey Noelle, why don’t you ask Susie out so we can make fun of her when you laugh in her face?’ Well, you can tell those assholes-”  


“No!” Noelle yelped abruptly, cutting off Susie’s increasing loud voice. She sucked in a deep breath and plunged headfirst into the speech that she had subconsciously written in her head just in case she would ever get to speak to Susie about something other than schoolwork.  


“I… I really care about you, Susie.” Noelle started, ignoring the voice in her head screaming at her to _just shut up, this was a horrible idea, she’s going to hate you-_  


“And, and I think people don’t realize how amazing you are, but I just want you to know that I see it, I know how much of a good person you are, and I don’t care at all that you seem scary or intimidating b-because I know under all that you’re really really strong and handsome and um, I really like you, Susie.”  


Noelle squeezed her eyes shut after finally cutting herself off, turning her face away from the girl that she was so obviously infatuated with and wringing her hands together. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she could feel the heat radiating off of her face.  


And so, she missed Susie’s expression of shock and deep blush after hearing Noelle’s confession.  


“Uh… huh… wow.” Susie said, breaking the silence first. “You really are strange, deer girl.”  


But all of the malice had vanished from her voice, and it was replaced with a softer, quieter tone of what was almost… admiration? Noelle opened one eye and tilted her head slightly to look at the taller girl, but she didn’t dare respond.  


“So, uh, if you really are serious, then… where do you wanna go?” Susie asked, a small smile growing on her lips. She raised an arm to rub the back of her neck as she eyed Noelle, looking oddly flustered.  


Noelle felt her heart leap and she gasped audibly, almost refusing to believe the fact that her longtime crush had _actually agreed to go on a date with her._ She felt butterflies flood her stomach and a wave of excitement wash over her as a huge smile overtook her still-blushing freckled face. For once, she pushed away the incoming wave of thoughts concerned over what could go wrong, and just focused on Susie.  


“Oh! Um, I was thinking of maybe… getting hot chocolate at the diner? After this?” Noelle asked, inexplicably breathless yet still grinning.  


“Yeah. Yeah that sound like a good idea, Holiday.” Susie replied, a real smile forming on her face.  


The two girls stood rooted to the spot, beaming at each other and thinking of what the future held for them.

**Author's Note:**

> Phew! Hope you guys enjoyed my first work, let me know if I should continue this story. I’m thinking of writing about when Susie and Noelle go to the diner, so let me know if that’s something you guys would be interested in! 
> 
> On a side note, I wrote almost entirely from Noelle’s point of view for this story, but I wanted to hint that Susie may not be as calm and collected as she seems. 😉 And I like to think that yes, Susie did request that song just to chuckle at that one line. 
> 
> Also I had Undyne play the piano for Noelle despite me not knowing if she plays in the Deltarune universe (and did you catch the slight Alphyne reference?)  
> Anyway, thanks so much for reading! 😊


End file.
